Bears search Panhandle for food, water

Black bears are making their presence known again in the Panhandle area as they search for winter food supplies in the wake of Eastern New Mexico's drought.

"We've had bears all the way up toward Amarillo. One was hit by a car about three weeks ago out near Conway on Interstate 40," said Danny Swepson, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife district leader based in Canyon.

He said a ranch hand reported sighting a bear in Hartley County on Wednesday, but when Swepson went to look for the bear Thursday, it couldn't be found.

"This is just the result of the drought over in New Mexico. Up until the last two years, we might have a rare sighting on the state line. But now there's nothing for them to eat, and we've had six or seven sightings in the last few months," he said.

The bear found east of Amarillo is a rarity, Swepson said. The majority of the sightings have been within 10 miles of the state boundary.

Bears can be hunted in New Mexico, but Swepson warned that in Texas they are protected and cannot be hunted.

So far, he said, no problems have been reported with the bears bothering livestock.

The black bears can weigh up to 300 pounds, but the bears sighted recently have been smaller, maybe 1- and 2-year-old bears trying to find their own territory, he said.

In May, a bear was captured northwest of Friona near the state line and two days later, a mother and her cub were captured in San Jon, N.M.

A rancher in Hartley County agreed to take the bear found near Friona and the mother/cub pair was expected to be released in northeastern New Mexico in a release area, according to previous Globe-News stories.

Bears can travel long distances, Swepson said. The situation in Eastern New Mexico is extremely bad and they're moving out trying to find better grazing.

"One thing pulling them in is the corn and sorghum still standing in the fields," he said. "They eat a variety of vegetable matter."

Anyone sighting a bear cannot shoot it. They should let someone in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department know about it, Swepson said.

"The best thing to do is leave him alone. Don't approach the animal. Usually you can scare him off with loud noises," Swepson said.